Teams can still sign up for Tailgate

September 28, 2010

By

SDN News Staff

SDN Staff Reports

The list of teams keeps growing for Fridayâ€™s Citywide Tailgate Party and Competition.
Set 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday â€” the day before the Mississippi State Bulldogs takes on Alcorn State â€” the seventh annual event is sponsored by the Starkville Daily News with assistance from the Greater Starkville Development Partnership.
Both the SDN and GSDP will have tailgate sites, but will not be competing. Businesses and organizations who have signed up to compete as of Monday include:
â€˘ OCH Regional Medical Center, to be located downtown at the courthouse on Main Street.
â€˘ The Oktibbeha County Courthouse.
â€˘ The Campus Book Mart, East Lee Boulevard.
â€˘ The Book Mart on Main Street.
â€˘ OSERVS (Oktibbeha-Starkville Emergency Response Volunteer Services), to be located at the SDN parking lot on Lampkin Street.
â€˘ Ability Works, Industrial Road.
â€˘ Starkville Police Department, Lampkin Street.
â€˘ United Way of North Central Mississippi, to be located in the SDN parking lot.
â€˘ Sullivanâ€™s Office Supply, Main Street.
â€˘ Lampkin Street businesses (Bell Building Supply, Simply Home, Coldwell Banker SRE Realtors, the Purple Elephant, Sisters, Stewartâ€™s Town and Campus Florist, Central Station Grill, Something Southern, Boardtown Bikes, Patâ€™s New Image Salon).
â€˘ Broadcast Media Group, North Jackson Street.
This yearâ€™s Citywide Tailgate theme is â€śThe Ringâ€™s the Thing: Respect the Bellâ€ť as the event celebrates the Mississippi State cowbell tradition, said SDN Editor Brian Hawkins, who coordinates the event.
As in years past, various awards will be given to winners in the Tailgate Party competition, which will be judged by local celebrity panels to be announced the week of the event.
To avoid problems encountered in previous years with judges being able to reach all Tailgate sites in a timely manner, two judging panels will be scoring this yearâ€™s event.
This yearâ€™s Tailgate judges are:
â€˘ Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman.
â€˘ Marvell Howard, president of the Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors.
â€˘ Jon Maynard, president and CEO of the Greater Starkville Development Partnership.
â€˘ Starkville City Clerk Markeeta Outlaw.
â€˘ Starkville Ward 5 Alderman Jeremiah Dumas.
â€˘ Gwen Sisson, lifestyles editor for the Starkville Daily News.
Participating businesses and organizations will be judged in the competition according to the following criteria:
â€˘ Appearance and street appeal of their tailgate site.
â€˘ Creativity in reflecting the theme.
â€˘ Food presentation.
Awards will be given to the first, second and third place overall winners, as well as overall awards for best use of theme, best tailgate food and overall spirit.
All winners will receive special recognition in the Oct. 2 edition of the Daily News. Numerous photographs will be taken during the event, many of which will be selected for publication the Daily News and possible use in future GSDP publications.
All participating businesses and organizations will be listed in the Daily News as they elect to participate.
â€śHow participating groups set up their tailgate sites is up to them. This event is about having a good time, showing support for our Bulldogs and offering an old-fashioned helping of Southern hospitality,â€ť Hawkins said.
Judging for the Tailgate Party competition will begin at 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 1 and continue until all participants have been visited by the judging panel.
Judging will be conducted along specified routes that will be published in the Daily News that day, Hawkins said.
Because of high public interest in the Citywide Tailgate, participating teams are being asked ahead of time to set aside food for the judging teams to sample to ensure all teams get an equal opportunity for judging.
To enter the Tailgate Party, simply contact Hawkins by telephone at 323-1642 or by e-mail at sdneditor@bellsouth.net.
In years past, many of the Tailgate Party participants have been concentrated in the downtown Starkville area. The newspaper is again offering use of its west parking lot to any businesses, civic groups, churches or campus organizations who want to participate in the Tailgate Party and be a part of the downtown atmosphere.
Non-downtown groups who want to set up in the SDN parking lot can do so by letting Hawkins know when they sign up to participate. The deadline for tailgate teams to register is 5 p.m. Thursday.